Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yosonoma’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Yosonoma’, characterized by its upright, outwardly spreading and mounded plant habit; vigorous, strong and freely branching growth habit; dark green-colored foliage; uniform flowering response and habit; freely flowering habit; large daisy-type inflorescences with elongated oblong-shaped and purple-colored ray florets; and good postproduction longevity with plants maintaining good substance and color for about three weeks in an interior environment.

Botanical designation: Chrysanthemum×morifolium.

Cultivar denomination: ‘Yosonoma’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Yosonoma’.

The new Chrysanthemum is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Salinas, Calif. and Alva, Fla. The objective of the program is to create or discover new potted Chrysanthemum cultivars that are suitable for year-round production with uniform plant growth habit, good vigor and strong branching habit, numerous inflorescences, desirable inflorescence form and floret colors, fast and uniform flowering response and good postproduction longevity.

The new Chrysanthemum originated from a cross-pollination made in February, 2001 in Salinas, Calif., of two unnamed proprietary selections of Chrysanthemum×morifolium, not patented. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination grown in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla. in March, 2002. The selection of this plant was based on its uniform plant growth habit, good vigor and strong branching habit, desirable inflorescence form and floret colors, fast and uniform flowering response, and good postproduction longevity.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum by vegetative tip cuttings was first conducted in Alva, Fla. in June, 2002. Asexual reproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Yosonoma has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength, and/or light level, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Yosonoma’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Yosonoma’ as a new and distinct Chrysanthemum:

-   -   1. Upright, outwardly spreading and mounded plant habit.     -   2. Vigorous, strong and freely branching growth habit.     -   3. Dark green-colored foliage.     -   4. Uniform flowering response and habit.     -   5. Can be grown as a spray-type or without bud removal.     -   6. Freely flowering habit.     -   7. Large daisy-type inflorescences with elongated oblong-shaped         ray florets.     -   8. Purple-colored ray florets.     -   9. Good postproduction longevity with plants maintaining good         substance and color for about three weeks in an interior         environment.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the parent selections. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants of the parent selection in growth habit, inflorescence size and ray floret coloration.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the cultivar Yorockport, disclosed in U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 11/157,451. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Yorockport in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were more vigorous than         plants of the cultivar Yorockport.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were more outwardly spreading         than plants of the cultivar Yorockport.     -   3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about one week later         than plants of the cultivar Yorockport.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Chrysanthemum showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Chrysanthemum.

The photograph on the first sheet comprises a side perspective view of typical flowering plants of ‘Yosonoma’ grown as spray-types.

The photograph on the second sheet comprises a close-up view of typical inflorescences of ‘Yosonoma’ grown as spray-types.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. The aforementioned photographs, following observations and measurements describe plants grown and flowered during the summer in Salinas, Calif., in a fiberglass-covered greenhouse and under conditions which approximate those generally used in commercial potted Chrysanthemum production. During the production of these plants, the following conditions were measured: day temperatures, 21° C. to 27° C.; night temperatures, 17° C. to 19° C.; and light levels, 5,000 to 6,000 foot-candles. Four unrooted cuttings were directly stuck in 15-cm containers, exposed to long day/short night conditions, and pinched once about two weeks later. At the time of the pinch, the photoinductive short day/long night treatments were initiated. Plants used for the description were grown as spray-types. Measurements and numerical values represent averages of typical flowering plants.

-   Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar     Yosonoma. -   Commercial classification: Daisy-type potted Chrysanthemum. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary selection of             Chrysanthemum×morifolium, not patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary selection of             Chrysanthemum×morifolium, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal tip cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots.—About four days at 21° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted cutting.—About ten days at 21° C.         -   Root description.—Fibrous; white, close to 155D, in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; moderately dense. -   Plant description:     -   -   Appearance.—Herbaceous daisy-type potted Chrysanthemum that             can be grown as a spray-type or without bud removal. Upright             with lateral branches outwardly spreading; uniformly mounded             crown. Strong and freely branching growth habit; about five             lateral branches develop after removal of terminal apex             (pinching); dense and full plants. Vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 29.5 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 42 cm.         -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 25.5 cm. Diameter: About             5 mm. Internode length: About 1.5 cm. Strength: Strong.             Texture: Pubescent. Color: 146A.         -   Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate; simple. Length:             About 8.5 cm. Width: About 5.25 cm. Apex: Cuspidate. Base:             Attenuate. Margin: Palmately lobed, sinuses between lateral             lobes mostly divergent. Texture, upper and lower surfaces:             Pubescent. Color: Developing and fully expanded foliage,             upper surface: Darker green than 147A. Developing and fully             expanded foliage, lower surface: Darker green than 147B.             Venation, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 147B. Petiole             length: About 1.9 cm. Petiole diameter: About 3 mm. Petiole             texture, upper and lower surfaces: Pubescent. Petiole color,             upper and lower surfaces: Close to 146A. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Daisy-type inflorescence form with elongated             oblong-shaped ray florets. Inflorescences borne on terminals             above foliage. Disk and ray florets develop acropetally on a             capitulum. Inflorescences not fragrant.         -   Flowering response.—Under natural conditions, plants flower             in the autumn/winter in the Northern Hemisphere. At other             times of the year, inflorescence initiation and development             can be induced under short day/long night conditions (at             least 13.5 hours of darkness). Uniform and early flowering             habit; plants exposed to three weeks of long day/short night             conditions followed by photoinductive short day/long night             conditions flower about nine weeks later.         -   Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color             and substance for about three weeks in an interior             environment.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—About nine inflorescences per             lateral branch.         -   Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 6 mm. Diameter: About             7.5 mm. Shape: Oblate. Color: Close to 146A to more green             than 147A.         -   Inflorescence diameter.—Large, about 7.25 cm.         -   Inflorescence height.—About 2.5 cm.         -   Diameter of disc.—About 1.3 cm.         -   Receptacle diameter.—About 7.5 mm.         -   Receptacle height.—About 7 mm.         -   Ray florets.—Length: About 3.6 cm. Width: About 9 mm.             Corolla tube length: About 6 mm. Corolla tube diameter:             About 2 mm. Shape: Elongated oblong. Apex: Acute, emarginate             or mamillate. Base: Attenuate and fused into a corolla tube.             Margin: Entire. Orientation: Initially upright to eventually             about 60° from vertical. Texture, upper and lower surfaces:             Smooth, glabrous; satiny. Number of ray florets per             inflorescence: About 34 in about two whorls. Color: When             opening and fully opened, upper surface: Close to 155D             heavily overlain with close to 77A; color is less heavily             overlain with close to 77A with development. When opening             and fully opened, lower surface: Close to 155D underlain             with close to 79A; color is more faintly underlain with             close to 79A with development.         -   Disc florets.—Arrangement: Massed at center of receptacle.             Length: About 7 mm. Diameter, apex: About 2 mm. Diameter,             base: About 1 mm. Shape: Tubular; elongated. Apex:             Five-pointed. Number of disc florets per inflorescence:             About 143. Color: Immature: Close to 144A to 145A. Mature,             apex: Close to 9A. Mature, mid-section: Close to 154D.             Mature, base: Close to 155D.         -   Phyllaries.—Quantity per inflorescence: About 24 arranged in             two to three whorls. Length: About 7.5 mm. Width: About             3 mm. Shape: Lanceolate. Apex: Acute. Base: Truncate.             Margin: Entire. Texture, upper surface: Waxy, smooth.             Texture, lower surface: Pubescent. Color, upper surface:             Close to 146A. Color, lower surface: Close to 146A to more             green than 147A.         -   Peduncles.—Length, terminal peduncle: About 5.75 cm. Length,             fourth peduncle: About 7.7 cm. Diameter: About 3.5 mm.             Angle: About 45° from vertical. Texture: Pubescent. Color:             146A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets             only. Anther length: About 2 mm. Anther color: Close to 9A.             Pollen amount: None observed. Gynoecium: Present on both ray             and disc florets. Style length: About 4 mm. Style color:             Close to 154D. Stigma color: Close to 9A.         -   Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production has not been observed. -   Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common to     Chrysanthemums has not been observed on plants grown under     commercial greenhouse conditions. 

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yosonoma’, as illustrated and described. 